Category: Recreation - New Summit Academy Costa Rica

Celebrating Thanksgiving at New Summit Academy

11/22/2018

At NSA, our Thanksgiving celebration is about dinner with family and friends, but also about giving back and engaging with our community to express our gratitude.

Students began the Thanksgiving week participating in a Global Citizenship workshop focused on Social Justice and investigating issues that are important to them.

With this Social Justice perspective, staff and students then participated in a number of days of community service.

On Monday, students spent the morning cooking and serving at Caritas, a local organization that provides up to 60 lunches seven days a week for locals in need.

That afternoon, we got our hands dirty, performing garden beautification work at our local elementary school.

The following day, students volunteered by running a much-appreciated Bingo game at Hogar de Ancianos, Atenas’ retirement home.

Wednesday morning had students in the kitchen, working to prepare a turkey lunch to deliver to the kids at Hogar de Vida. In between serving lunch, cleaning up, and playing with the kids, some of our Spanish students entertained everyone with a presentation on Thanksgiving traditions.

On Thanksgiving Day, students and staff returned to the kitchen, but this time to prepare delicious food for our Thanksgiving dinner celebration.

We would like to express our thanks to every member of our NSA extended family!

Two Weeks in the Life of NSA Students

11/1/2018

Who knew that life at boarding school could be so interesting and so much fun? Every day, New Summit Academy’s students and staff share rigorous academic discourse, once-in-a-lifetime experiential adventures, unique cultural immersion experiences, and exciting recreational opportunities.

Take a look at what our students have done in just these past two weeks!

Spotting crocodiles on the Tarcoles River

Competing in a 10K with the Running Club

Healthy competition at the Go Kart track

Being boys at the pool

Honing bouldering skills with the Climbing Club

Ready to roll at the amusement park

Learning sustainable agriculture techniques

Preparing a Halloween feast

Presenting on Sustainable Development

NSA Celebrates Children’s Day with Hogar de Vida

10/2/2018

Costa Rica was one of the first nations on Earth to declare Children’s Day a national holiday as a celebration of its youth. At NSA, we naturally celebrate the day with our community partner, Hogar de Vida children’s home. Our young neighbors were invited to campus for a morning of fun, organized by Daisy our Cultural Coordinator.

Our students played with the children, took turns riding an ox cart and horses, colored and drew on tables covered in paper, and shared a delicious lunch, all to show our appreciation for the children of Hogar de Vida.

New Summit Academy Students – Outside the Classroom!

8/1/2018

A major major part of our students' lives and learning is focused on what they are doing outside of the classroom, from interacting with their homestay families to volunteering with local organizations.

Clubs
Students at NSA are able to propose and form their own clubs based on their interests and passions. These clubs meet weekly, and often create after school or weekend opportunities. Current student-created opportunities include Biking, Rock Climbing, Surfing, Art, Chess, Spanish, and Cooking Clubs.

Cultural Activities
Sundays for newer students are dedicated to immersion in the Costa Rican culture through activities that tie in to their Spanish language classes. Each week may find students visiting a coffee farm, exploring museums, hiking through a national park, or floating down the river on a crocodile tour.

Homestay Program
For students who have completed the Cultural Immersion program and have advanced to a communicative level in their Spanish classes, Sundays are spent with a Costa Rican homestay family.

These local families take our students into their homes where they can join in on soccer games, family barbecues, birthday parties and, of course, delicious home cooking.

Volunteering
NSA students have many opportunities to give back to the community that hosts our school, including working with turtle conservation organizations, participating in beach clean-ups, animal rescue fundraising, and planting trees for water conservation.

Our most frequent opportunity and most rewarding experience comes from our students’ volunteer work with Hogar de Vida, our neighboring children’s home. Weekly volunteer opportunities and frequent NSA-hosted parties and events ensure that our students develop meaningful relationships with the children and staff.

Recreational Activities
Fun is a crucial part of being a student at NSA. Students plan their own recreational activities, working with their Student Council and our Experiential Education team.

Weekend excursions can include beach days, trips to the movies, bowling and laser tag. NSA students also organize game nights and BBQs on campus.

Recreational Aventura to Manuel Antonio

7/3/2018

After a rigorous school semester, students and staff are ready for some fun and relaxation, and the recreational Aventura delivered!

Students traveled to Manuel Antonio National Park and spent their days swimming in the ocean, hiking to spectacular waterfalls, playing soccer on the wide beaches, and exploring the park, one of the most beautiful in Costa Rica. Students returned to campus ready for their next adventure: Peru!

Celebrating our Homestay Families!!

4/14/2018

Soccer. Cooking. Birthday Parties. Barbecues. Our students have the unique opportunity to participate in these activities and much more with their beloved Costa Rican homestay families.

Each family, carefully selected to match student interests and personalities, opens their home to one of our students every Sunday and shares their lives and culture with them.

To thank them, NSA hosted our always-anticipated homestay family picnic this past week, which included an impressive karaoke contest, delicious lunch, and the ever-popular bingo tournament. Many thanks to our Atenas community for providing our students with a home away from home!

Cooking, Biking and Gardening, Oh My!

3/26/2018

Pursuing healthy passions is an important part to living a full, balanced life, and our Clubs enable our students to advocate for their particular interests in that pursuit. Any student can start a Club with enough interest and by passing a proposal with the Experiential Education team. Once a Club is approved, student and staff leaders facilitate a quarterly Club Fair for student sign-ups.

This quarter’s Clubs include Cooking, Gardening, Chess, Comic Books, Biking, Climbing, Music Makers, and Backcountry Skills.

Clubs then collaborate to organize and schedule weekly meetings and weekend outings, developing student advocacy, organization and follow through while having fun!

Looking Ahead at New Summit Academy

3/17/2018

The next two weeks are exciting ones for our students, families and staff of NSA! Newer students will be off adventuring and relaxing in the untouched forests of Sarapiqui and on the shores of Lake Arenal. They will be spending the week zip-lining, playing soccer, stand-up paddle boarding and horseback riding in some of the most beautiful areas of the country.

Another group of students will be traveling to South Africa for two weeks of impactful cultural immersion and community building.

Next week, our students and staff will be hard at work studying and applying their learning hands-on in their efforts to earn their Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) and CPR certifications. Stay tuned for stories and photos from these upcoming activities!

Student Reflections on NSA Experience

2/1/2018

This month, our community of New Summit Academy proudly celebrated 13 YEARS of working together to fulfill our mission of nurturing students to become more relationship-based, goal-driven, resourceful global citizens.

To commemorate this exciting milestone, we would like to share some student testimonials from these amazing times. We hope you enjoy!

“Happy Anniversary NSA! Celebrate the fact that you are providing something more than anyone there realizes.  You are giving everyone there a chance to step away from what life is really like and grow in a controlled environment, a place where they can learn to love and trust themselves.”
-Tyler, Class of 2006

“At NSA I was given so many opportunities to improve my self-esteem. I left NSA with a sense of pride and accomplishment, which helped me get past insecurities and fears back at home.”
-Luke, Class of 2007

“I remember how real Mario and the rest of the staff were with us. I was told many things I didn't want to hear, and really felt that I was treated with respect (when I deserved it, and even sometimes when I didn't).”   - Matt, Class of 2008

“The experiences I received in Costa Rica with NSA were invaluable and irreplaceable. I grew from a naive and immature boy to a young man who is motivated and destined for success.”
- Evan, Class of 2009

“When I think about NSA the first thing I remember is the Aventuras. Those were some of the most enlightening and insightful experiences that I have ever partaken in.”
- Billy, Class of 2010

“I don’t think NSA makes you a different person. I think that NSA makes you the person you have always been meant to be.”
- Rory, Class of 2010

“I think the most important aspect which NSA taught me which I still use today, is to simply be myself!”
- Johnny, Class of 2012

Holiday Break Aventuras

1/2/2018

Many of NSA’s students returned home to celebrate the winter holidays with family and friends. Those who remained in Costa Rica celebrated with their New Summit Academy family and friends, enjoying the natural beauty of the country while having loads of fun participating in recreational activities.

These are just some of outdoor adventures our students engaged in over the holiday break:

- Hiking among the geysers and mud pots of Rincon de la Vieja National Park
- Horseback riding in the tropical dry forests of Guanacaste Province
- Spending time surfing and relaxing at the beach
- Swimming in the spectacular blue waters of the Rio Celeste

Happy Holidays and Feliz Año Nuevo to our entire New Summit Academy Community!

This website was made by a collaborative effort between two students (SK and JA) and NSA staff.
All pictures are real photographs taken from student experiences at NSA. Thank you for taking the time to peruse our site!
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